The 18th Census of Population and Housing in the Republic of Bulgaria will be held from September 7 to October 3, 2021. Here is some information, prepared by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute:
INDIVIDUALS COVERED
Counted are:
– all Bulgarian and foreign citizens residing in the country at the time of the census;
– Bulgarian diplomats and citizens working in foreign missions of the country and members of their families;
– military personnel and crews of river and sea vessels, who are out of the country at the time of the census;
– asylum seekers and those granted status under the Asylum and Refugee Act.
Also counted are all residential buildings and dwellings in them, as well as dwellings in nonresidential buildings in which individuals are living at the time of the census.
INDIVIDUALS NOT COUNTED
The following will not be counted:
– foreign diplomats and employees in diplomatic missions on the territory of the country;
– foreign military personnel who are on missions in the country and the crews of foreign river and sea vessels.
CONDUCT OF THE CENSUS EXERCISE
Answering questions in the census forms is mandatory, but self-identification and providing information on ethno-cultural characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, religion or mother tongue) and health status is voluntary.
The National Institute of Statistics is an authorized administrator of personal data. Individuals are not required to prove information before census bodies or provide copies of documents.
From the 7th to the 17th of September the electronic census takes place on the website https://census2021.bg/ Please note: On September 16, this deadline was extended until the end of the month: September 30.
You must do an online registration in order to complete the online questionnaire, available at the following link. One person can fill out the form for the entire family and also for elderly relatives.
Registration is done with:
– a valid email address
– personal identifier (the personal number of a foreigner / personal registry number)
– number of a valid Bulgarian identity document (ID card, driving license, international passport or other described in the Bulgarian Identity Documents Act),
– date of issuance of the document.
Registration must be done by a person who will be counted in the census form.
Individual data collected during the census is a statistical secret and can only be used for statistical purposes.
Upon successful completion of the census card, the system generates a unique count code. The code is sent to the email with which the user registered. The code can also be found in the user’s profile menu in the upper right corner of the screen on the census site. The code must be provided to the counter that visits the home between September 18 and October 3 as a test.
A video tutorial for filling out the Institute’s questionnaire electronically, in Bulgarian: https://youtu.be/wOCXVFkRLM0
If you are unable to fill out the questionnaire online, there will be a census with counters through a visit to homes and households from September 18 to October 3. The counters will bring English language questionnaires with them. Attached is the questionnaire in English for informational purposes.
In case of waiving the census, there is a fine of BGN 160.
In case of any difficulties encountered while filling out the census form, you can ask for assistance from the experts of the Bulgarian Statistical Institute at the following phone numbers: 02 9078 430, daily from 9:00 to 21:00.
Photo: courtesy of Pixabay.
